On the outside, he may still look like the epitome of the rugged
American male -- a man's man. But inside, it's another story: years of
cigarettes, liquor, and steak and eggs can do a number both on a man's heart
andsexual vitality.

Well, it didn't have to happen. Sure, men experience a drop in
levels of the sex hormone testosterone as they age. Many a man finds that he's
no longer the young buck, bed-wise, that he was in his randy youth.

But if you're worried that your sexual life is headed off into
the sunset as you approach midlife, rest easy. You can maintain -- even boost --
your sexual vitality by making a few smart decisions now.

"Healthy men can have erections at any age," says Michael
Castleman, a sex educator and health writer based in San Francisco. "Once you
hit about 50, erections change. They are slower to rise, they don't rise from
fantasy alone -- you need manipulation and direct sexual stimulation. What
happens to a lot of men is that they notice these changes and they flip out and
think, 'Omigod, I've reached the end of my sexual road.' Well, things aren't
over, they've just changed."